Automatic liquid distributing set



1960 H. WHITEFIELD ETAL 2,925,936

AUTOMATIC LIQUID DISTRIBUTING SET Filed May 6, 1957 IN VEN TOR l/Azgzgy 1217112 1 1520 1 ArrzLra kmzrzzzfiflm BY qQW/J M 6 :4; #055 Aozzus ATTORNEY 2,925,936 Patented eb. 23, 1960 United States Patent Ofice 2,925,936 AUTOMATIC LIQUID DISTRIBUTING SET Harry Whitefield and Attilio Chiantelassa, Turin, Italy Application May 6, 1957, Serial No. 657,120 Claims priority, application Italy November 10, 1956 1 Claim. (Cl. 222-20) This invention relates to an automatic control device for a liquid dispenser which can be directly coupled to a conventional liquid dispenser.

It substantially comprises an electric pulse generator which generates pulses equal in number to the number of units of liquid which are to be delivered, each electric pulse causing, through the action of a relay, an angular movement of a rotating element provided with a contact. A brush is caused to rotate by the liquid dispenser and comes into engagement with said contact, after the desired amount of liquid has been dispensed, closing an electric circuit. This circuit comprises, for example, a solenoid operated valve controlling the delivery or dispensing of the liquid.

The invention will be better understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the aforesaid control device, said description being exemplary only and not limitative, and being made with reference to the enclosed drawing which represents, in a schematic form, the control device of the invention.

In this description, a control devicewill be described capable of delivering 1 or liters of liquid, by choice. In the attached drawing, A and B designate two main switches connected in the electric circuit, the A switch providing for the 5 liters delivery and the B switch for the 1 liter delivery.

Referring now to the drawing, 1 indicates a relay which, under the action due to the closing of switch A, raises a small center pin 2. Pin 2 serves as a blocking device for stops .3 which are regularly spaced on a counting or metering wheel 4. Wheel 4 is set in rotation by the motor 5 through a magnetic clutch 6 and a reduction gear 7.

The metering wheel 4 carries, on' its peripheral edge, 20 spheric headed pins 8 (which are, therefore, angularly spaced by 18) which act as electric contacts in respect of a fixed contact K, to close the electric circuit C which goes to a second relay 9.

Relay 1 includes a conventional time delay device so that when the push-button or plunger A is closed, the small pin 2 remains in a raised position for a time duration which is sufiicient in order that five of the small pins 8 may be able to close the circuit C, while the metering wheel 4 will efiFect a rotation of 90. The time of withdrawal of pin 2 will be selected tocorrespond to the speed of motor 5 and gearing 7.

Each pulse delivered to the circuit C trips the relay 9 which pushes outwards a small piston 10 which is connected to'a conventional free wheel ratchet 11, which acts on the body of a selector.

Said selector body comprises a liter-metering wheel 12 which is provided on the lower portion with teeth 13 engaged by the ratchet 11, said liter-metering wheel being connected with a second wheel 14 which is provided on its periphery with a set of V-shaped or tapered notches 15.

A spring urged dog 16, slidable in a body 17, cooperates with the notches of wheel 14 to provide a holding action for wheel 12 when it is not being rotated by ratchet 11 and relay 9.

The liter-metering wheel 12 carries a depending contact 18 which can engage with a brush 19 which is operatively connected with and caused to rotate by a liquid dispenser'20 through a reduction gear 21. Dispenser 20 conventionally comprises an electric motor driving a liquid pump.

The contact 18 and the brush 19 operate, when they enter in engagement, an electric valve through a circuit D, which shuts otf the flow of the liquid from the dispenser 20.

The operation of the beforedescribed apparatus is the following:

Suppose that it is desired to get 5 liters of gasoline:

Once closed the A switch will cause actuation of the relay 1 which, raising the small pin 2, will allow the metering wheel 4 to rotate by Five small pins 8 will engage in succession with the contact K, so closing the circuit C and delivering five successive electric pulses to the relay 9.

Each time that it receives a pulse, the relay 9 operates the small piston 10 which acts from right to left on the ratchet 11. Said ratchet, engaging with the teeth 13, causes the liter-metering wheel 12 to rotate by a determined angle (6, for instance). During the back stroke of the ratchet 11, the metering wheel 12 will hold its position, which it has reached following the action of the relay 9, since the dog 16 enters the recesses 15 of the wheel 14.

When the five pulses have ended, the contact 18, carried by the liter-metering wheel 12, is in a certain angular position spaced from the brush 19.

Thereafter, the operator A grips the delivery nozzle and operates the dispenser, a part thereof rotating and causing thereby the rotation of brush 19.

When the brush 19 engages with the contact 18, five liters will have been delivered, and in such position the electric circuit D closes, so that the electric valve is operated which acts on the dispenser 20, stopping it.

If it is desired to deliver 1 liter only, switch B will be closed and this, delivering a single pulse to the relay 9, will cause the metering wheel 12 to rotate by an angle which corresponds only to the gap between two successive teeth (6). The operations will take place substantially as described in the beforestated case, except that relay 1, metering wheel 4 and so on remain.

Various detail modifications can be of course practiced, without departing from the scope of the invention itself.

What is claimed is:

In combination, a liquid dispenser and a control device therefor, said control device comprising a metering wheel having a plurality of equi-angularly spaced pins thereon and a plurality of stops thereon, means to drive said wheel, an electric circuit comprising said pins, a fixed contact successively engageable by said pins upon rotation of said wheel and a relay, a second circuit comprising a switch and a second relay having a pin engageable with said stops on said wheel and movable from engagement therewith upon actuation of said second relay, whereby upon closing of said switch said pin will be moved to release said wheel to cause engagement of at least some of said pins of said wheel to thereby successively close said first-mentioned circuit and to repeatedly actuate the relay thereof, a second wheel having teeth thereon and carrying an electric contact, a ratchet operatively connected to said first relay and said teeth to rotate said second wheel upon actuation of said first relay,

a hrnshoperatiyely connected to said liquid dispenser and movable thereby, proportionately to the amount of liquid dispensed, into engagement with said electric contact, said electric contact and brush being part of an electric circuit having means therein for stopping said dispenser upon contact thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

